Isolation of carbon nanohorn assemblies and their potential for intracellular delivery

Attributed to its distinctive dahlia-flowerlike structure and already desirable size (usually < 100 nm), carbon nanohorn assemblies (CNHs), a new member of the fullerene family, are a potential vehicle for intracellular delivery. This paper shows that isolated CNHs and nanoscale CNH agglomerates can be successfully isolated by a copolymer (Gum Arabic) through steric stabilization. In vitro study shows that the modified CNHs are nontoxic and may be used as a promising vehicle for intracellular delivery.